a too tall tbh might not handle high summer temperatures without comb failure

So, keep your lists handy and compare all tbh designs to them. There’s simply no single design that is best for everyone.

Bees are adaptable and can make just about any sufficiently large cavity work. Not so for the beekeeper. So always field test a tbh design before committing to a single design on a large scale. Sometimes a minor design change can make a lot of difference in how they are managed.

Bee’s Needs

A swarm resting on its way to a new home. What does it need?

The bees need a cavity that:

is large enough to accommodate both bees and food resources

moderates the broodnest environment from climate and weather

and is defensible

Cavity Volume

Bees are adaptable creatures with minimal shelter requirements. They need a suitable cavity to over winter in:

a south facing entrance

3 meters to 5 meters above the ground

at least 25 liters volume

40 liters to 60 liters average volume

a 20 to 40 square centimeter entrance

an entrance at bottom of cavity

a 4 centimeter maximum entrance diameter

subtropical climate bees prefer smaller cavities of 30 liters

German bees prefer 60 liter cavities

Africanized honeybees prefer smaller cavities of 22 liters

in the hottest areas bees often forsake a cavity for a nest in an open, shady, sheltered place

Mark Winston’s “The Biology of the Honey Bee” and Tom Seeley’s “The Wisdom of the Hive” are two great books to read about the bee’s needs.

Cavity Shape

The shape of the cavity is also important. In a temperate climate, with a few intense nectar flows, taller comb and a shorter hive length works better. The bees can backfill a larger broodnest before storing surplus honey. That insures the best possible conditions for survival during a bad season. And the cluster is in a more compact shape resulting in better over wintering.

In warmer locales, with more frequent but less intense flows, a longer top bar hive with a shorter combs is more functional. The shorter combs allow the beekeeper to harvest surplus honey, which might be inaccessible if stored only in taller broodnest combs. A cluster is a long, shallow box would have more surface area which might be easier to cool during the hottest times of the year.

Beekeeper’s Needs

Different beekeepers, different needs. This paleo-beekeeper didn’t need much from a hive.

Beyond what the bees need, a tbh must meet a beekeeper’s needs. After all, it’s the beekeeper who needs the beehive and not the bees. They could easily find a suitable cavity and go to it on their own. But then we would have to climb that tree or cliff to get them. And it’s just much more convenient and safer to bring the bees to the beekeeper, rather than the beekeeper to the bees. 🙂

An organic gardener, needing a few hives for pollination, might value:

appearance

workability

stealth

Ranging from the rustic to the ornate, tbhs have been constructed out of:

steel barrels

adobe

recycled water heaters

plastic food grade barrels

old refrigerators

ammunition cases

pallets

papercrete

Your Tbh?

So, what would your tbh look like? I bet it would be a beauty. And I know it would be the best tbh ever built. Because it would give you more satisfaction than any other hive. And it would be made especially for you and your bee’s needs. Here are a few of my thoughts on building the:

Final Thoughts

Finally, don’t sweat the small stuff. It takes much experience to design and build an optimal tbh. But the bees don’t need an optimal hive. Look at what they naturally choose and how easily their needs are met.

Optimizing a tbh has more to do with the beekeeper’s needs than it does the bees. And I’ve found that a beekeeper’s need are constantly changing.